five ingredients or less Archives | Page 4 of 5

how to make copycat sonic strawberry limeade

July 6, 2015 by Abby

A simple strawberry sauce and store bought soda are all you need to make a copycat sonic strawberry limeade.

Sonic was a pretty big deal when I was in college. Happy hour always fell right as most of my friends and I were arriving back in our dorm after classes and work, and the half-price drinks beckoned to us.

I’ve tried my share of smoothies and slushes, but the strawberry limeade will always be my first love. Fruity, refreshing, with just the right amount of zesty zing.

I consider it fate that, just the other week at the grocery store, as I was buying strawberries to make my favorite strawberry sauce, I found a bottle of store brand limeade on an end-cap.

The rest is history.

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150 calorie dark chocolate almond bites

June 10, 2015 by Abby

Dark chocolate chips are melted and drizzled over whole almonds, and then sprinkled with sea salt, to make this indulgent yet healthy low calorie chocolate snack.

Dark chocolate chips are melted and drizzled over whole almonds, and then sprinkled with sea salt, to make these indulgent yet healthy low calorie chocolate snack.

Y’all, this blogging thing is hard. Sometimes you make a to-die-for new recipe. You make it a few times before it dawns on you to share the recipe with your blog readers. So you make it again- oh, the hardship- in order to photograph the delectable little morsels.

But there’s a problem. In your haste, you melt the chocolate too fast. It gets lumpy and not super appealing looking (but don’t worry, it still tastes amazing).

I know that my readers expect- nay, they demand– only the very best from winstead wandering, and because I aim to please, I was forced to make these dark chocolate almond bites yet again.

The things I do for my readers.

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pan-fried romaine lettuce {a frugal side dish}

June 3, 2015 by Abby

Pan-fried lettuce…that sounds crazy, right? The idea that you’d take a vegetable traditionally served chilled, a vegetable that’s typically consumed along with an assortment of garnishments designed mostly to hide the flavor, and intentionally heat it, wilt it, and season it only with ingredients intended to enhance it’s natural flavor.

Well, call me crazy, because I love this stuff. It’s such a unique, quick, and inexpensive side dish. The romaine is seasoned only with the garlic-infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s pan-fried at high heat, so the romaine gets hot and wilted without losing it’s natural crunch.

You could throw in any spices you like, but I prefer to keep it simple. I tend to crave crunchy, salty foods and, while I won’t try to pretend this lettuce is a substitute for potato chips, it does fill a little of that void.

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homemade strawberry sauce

April 3, 2015 by Abby

The days are longer, the temperature is warmer, and the local Piggly Wiggly has some beautiful produce.

Because it’s Spring, y’all.

What better way to welcome the season than with a batch- or four- of this sweet homemade strawberry sauce?

My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is in a glass of cold lemonade. The strawberry and lemonade combo? Red Robin has nothing on me.

In addition to the lemonade, strawberry sauce adds a sweet freshness to cheesecake, ice cream, or waffles or pancakes.

Or you can just enjoy it right off the spoon.

homemade strawberry sauce

2 cups sliced or diced strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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10 best crescent roll dinner recipes + 3 desserts

March 23, 2015 by Abby

I try my best to create meals for my family that include more whole ingredients and fewer canned and processed foods. A lot of nights, I’m successful.

There are plenty of nights, though, that I’m mostly concerned with just getting something on the table. For the nights when I don’t have anything to pull from the freezer, I try to keep a tube of crescent roll dough in the fridge.

While crescent rolls may not be the most nutritious choice, they’re a super convenient way to pull a meal together quickly. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite crescent roll recipes.

1. sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake from Winstead Wandering

2. Ranch Chicken Club Roll-Ups from Life With the Crust Cut Off

3. Pepperoni Pizza Crescents by Mess for Less

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mexican pizza {a taco bell copycat recipe}

March 5, 2015 by Abby

Confession: I’ve never had a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Now that I make this fresh version at home, I’ll never need to.

The recipe calls for refried beans- I make mine using this recipe– and taco meat, but I often make mine with just beans and my husband’s with meat only.

Just as with regular tacos, this recipe can be adapted to fit the preferences or dietary needs of just about anybody; in fact, it practically begs for it.

Mexican Pizzas
adapted from here
(recipe makes 4 pizzas; quantities as needed)

8 6-inch tortillas
1 – 1 1/2 cups (1 can) refried beans (you may want more if you’re omitting the meat)
1/2 pound taco meat (prepare your ground beef or turkey as you normally do for tacos)
1/2 cup taco sauce (salsa works, too)
1 cup shredded cheese
cooking spray or 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Additional optional toppings:
-diced tomato
-shredded lettuce
-sour cream
-diced avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown your tortillas on both sides in a saucepan, either in hot oil or by spraying both sides with cooking spray. Spray a cookie sheet lined with foil.

On the foil, layer beans and meat on top of a browned tortilla. Cover with a second tortilla and spread that one with taco sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until you’ve built four pizzas.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

What fast food favorite do you make at home?

mug brownie

March 3, 2015 by Abby

There are so many mug brownie recipes on Pinterest, so I was hesitant to add my own to the mix.

But here’s the thing about those other recipes. They suck. To be fair, I haven’t tried all the mug recipes. I’ve tried a lot, though. If I had a dollar for every failed mug brownie recipe I’ve tried…well, I could buy a few boxes of brownie mix.

If you, too, have been disappointed by the recipes you’ve tried, I urge you to try just one more. Trust me, it’s the last one you’ll ever need.

mug brownie
adapted from Creating & Co.

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water (optional: substitute 2 teaspoons of your favorite flavored coffee syrup; I prefer Torani salted caramel)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt

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crack(er) candy

February 24, 2015 by Abby

When I was in junior high, my step-mom, Ann, tried a new treat at a faculty potluck. The art teacher, I think, brought a strange family recipe that ended up being a huge hit. Ann liked it so much that she got the recipe and made them for our next family event.

They’ve pretty much been a staple at every gathering since, including as the dessert I choose on my birthday in lieu of cake. And y’all, I love cake.

Here’s the crazy thing about these addictive little morsels: they shouldn’t work. You shouldn’t be able to melt butter and brown sugar together into a caramel, pour it over saltine crackers, bake it and sprinkle it with chocolate chips, and end up with a dessert that’s startlingly addictive.

Lucky for me, though, it does work. Oh, does it work. Here’s how.

crack(er) candy

1 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 sleeve of saltine crackers
2 cups of chocolate chips
kosher salt for sprinkling (optional)

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brown sugar balsamic strawberries

January 24, 2015 by Abby

Strawberries. Balsamic vinegar. Sugar. These are a few of my favorite things. They’re also three things I never would have imagined combining into one dish, let along enjoying. But a few years ago, I stumbled across a recipe- if you could even call it that; it basically just listed the three ingredients- on a blog I don’t recall. I was intrigued, and I happened to have everything I needed, so I threw it together.

The berries get tossed in the rich brown sugar and the acidic balsamic vinegar. Everyone rests in the fridge for a few minutes, getting chilled and cozy. When you pull it out to eat, the sugar and vinegar have come together to form a sweet and tangy sauce. The vinegar has begun to break down the berries, making them soft and delicate. It’s all a pretty lovely process.

It’s important to note that I’ve never followed a recipe when making this dish. I measured the last time I made it so that I’d be able to provide a recipe here, but keep in mind that there’s not really a wrong way to combine these three ingredients, so feel free to play around with it.

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homemade microwave popcorn

January 11, 2015 by Abby

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. I love salty foods, and I love to be able to munch on something while I’m working or watching TV, so popcorn is a natural fit.

My reason for making it myself, rather than buying bags of microwave popcorn from the grocery store, is two-fold. First, this homemade method is so much less expensive than the store-bought variety. Second, those pre-made bags are loaded with preservatives and chemicals. While I’m not a poster child for natural, organic living, I do try to make healthy choices when I can, especially when the healthier option is cheap, easy, and, in my opinion, even better tasting than the other option.

After popping a bag of this popcorn, you have a blank canvas just waiting to take on whatever flavors you’re in the mood for. My current favorite is butter, kosher salt, and garlic powder. I’ve been known to toss in a little Parmesan cheese, too. I’ve also enjoyed my popcorn with cinnamon sugar and with chili powder and garlic salt (not all in the same batch).

homemade microwave popcorn

1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1 brown paper lunch bag
toppings of choice: butter, coconut oil, kosher salt, cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, brewers yeast, and Parmesan cheese are a few that I’ve either tried or had recommended to me

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